Monthly Archives: June 2016

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – The Beginning of Prayer

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Read: Genesis 3:8-13

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, Where are you? Gen. 3:8-9

This is the beginning of prayer. It is suggested here that this was a habitual thing in the lives of Adam and Eve. It is rather remarkable, but the first prayer is recorded only after the fall. Yet the account suggests very plainly that prayer had been a continual delight and blessing to Adam and Eve, and was daily a part of their experience. This seems to be a habitual action on God’s part. He comes into the garden in the cool of the day to converse with the two that had come from his creative hand, and together they talked in the garden.

The most remarkable thing about this incident is that the initiative for beginning this prayer comes from God. It is the Lord who comes into the garden. It is the Lord who calls out for man. Prayer, therefore, begins with God. In many ways, that is the greatest truth about prayer that we can learn from this incident, because all through the rest of Scripture that truth underlies every prayer that is ever uttered from here on. So we must always read the accounts of Scripture from that point of view.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – The Beginning of Prayer →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – Travel Without Fear

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Read: Psalm 46

We will not fear though the earth gives way. (v. 2)

Imagine you’re looking forward to the birth of your second child. There are problems—multiple birth defects: the heart, spleen, and liver. Months of daily vigil, ceaseless travel between home and hospital. Finally you’re able to take the little tyke home. Twenty-four-hour nursing care will be required. After taking your son home, you report to your pastor (in this case me), “Our son is doing well but on my way home yesterday I was rear-ended. I sprained my neck, roughed up my knee, and injured my stomach a bit. As you know, I’m on kidney dialysis. The car was totaled.” Then this young, caring parent adds, “But we haven’t lost our faith.”

How is it possible to maintain faith and courage in such a world? Where is God when we need him? Recall Jesus asleep in the boat with his fearful disciples, in the midst of a violent storm. It seemed God was asleep (Mark 4:35-41). Yet doesn’t the psalm say our God is “a very present help in trouble” (v. 1)? Why does God do this to us? Well, as we struggle, we learn our limitations. We learn everything depends upon God’s grace and power. God’s seeming absence prompts us to exercise our faith.

Are you going through storms just now? Call upon Jesus. He holds all things together. Be of good courage. One greater than sickness and accidents is with you—one greater even than the forces of nature. Jesus will bring you safely through earth’s storms to heaven’s shores.

Prayer:

Jesus Savior, pilot me.

Author: Chic Broersma

https://woh.org/

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – God’s Wake-Up Calls

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Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word.—Psalm 119:67

Sometimes God will allow suffering and sickness in our lives to get our attention. We may be rebelling against Him, and He wants us to change our direction. He wants it to stop.

We see an example of this in the life of Jonah. God told Jonah to go preach to the Ninevites, but Jonah went in the opposite direction instead. He was disobeying the Lord. And because the Lord loved Jonah, He went after him. God will not let His children run too far. He got Jonah’s attention, turned things around, and turned the prophet around.

As the psalmist said, “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word.” (Psalm 119:67). Sometimes God will allow a situation in our lives to wake us up to our real need.

Maybe you have had a wake-up call recently. Maybe you’ve received a call from a doctor who said, “I am concerned about these tests. I want you to come back in. I want to run some more.”

Suddenly you’re filled with panic. You’re saying, “God, I love You. I’m going to follow You and serve You. I’m going to go to the mission field. I will do anything.” Then you go in and they run the other set of tests. Everything looks good. You’re okay. And suddenly you’re back to your old ways again. What happened to all of those vows?

If you’ve had a wake-up call, then wake up.

Maybe God is allowing you to go through something that doesn’t make any sense right now. But one day it will make sense.

The Devil can do nothing in the life of the believer without God’s permission. The Lord is ultimately in control. He is in control of all circumstances that surround the life of the believer.

Harvest.org | Greg Laurie

Kids 4 Truth

Kids 4 Truth International – Christ Has Promised His Presence

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“I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:20b)

Have you ever had such wonderful news that you were just bursting to tell someone else? Maybe you got a good grade on a test, or perhaps you won an important ballgame. Good news is something you always enjoy sharing, isn’t it?

But what about the Gospel – the Good News about Christ’s death and resurrection? Do you enjoy sharing that Good News?

For some reason, it’s easy to talk to other Christians about what Jesus Christ has done and is doing in your life. But when it comes to talking to people who don’t know Him, it just seems a lot harder. What if they think you’re weird? Or what if they make fun of you? Or what if they just don’t understand? Because you don’t know how they may respond, there are times when you might feel afraid, or even pretend that you don’t know Jesus.

But Jesus wants you to share Him with others! In fact Jesus says in Matthew 28:19-20a, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” These are words that Jesus spoke to His disciples, in His last earthly message, before He ascended to heaven. Jesus told them that they should teach others about Him and show them how to be followers of Him. If you are serious about being a follower of Christ, then this command is for you, too.

Wow, what a big task! Maybe even a scary one as well! But the best part is that Jesus offers you a promise with His command: I am with you always, even to the end of the world. (Matthew 28:20b). Always – that includes when you speak to others about Jesus! Even though you may feel afraid and even outnumbered at times, Jesus is always with you. You can be confident because Jesus has assured you that you are not alone!

Jesus is with me when I talk to others about Him.

My Response:

» Am I obeying God by sharing Jesus with others? Am I trusting Him to help me tell others about Him?

 

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The Navigators

The Navigators – Jerry Bridges – Holiness Day by Day Devotional – Guiding Your Conduct

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Today’s Scripture: Psalm 119:105

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

A defining moment in my life occurred very quietly one evening in the first Bible study group I attended. The leader of the study said to us, “The Bible wasn’t given just to increase your knowledge but to guide your conduct.” As obvious as that truth is to me now, at the time it was brand new. It was as if someone had turned on a light in my mind. I saw clearly what I’d been completely oblivious to before.

It wasn’t that I was living what we would consider a sinful lifestyle. Quite the opposite was true. I’d grown up in a church setting, trusted Christ as my savior, read the Bible every day, and even memorized a few Bible verses. But the idea of applying Scripture to specific situations in my daily life had never occurred to me. That night I prayed a simple prayer: “God, starting tonight I want you to use the Bible to guide my conduct.” My whole approach to the Word of God changed overnight, and the Scriptures suddenly became very relevant. That was the beginning of my own personal “pursuit of holiness.”

The Bible is indeed a very relevant book, giving instruction and guidance for our daily lives. In following this instruction, however, we’re continually faced with a series of choices. Of course, life is a constant series of choices from the time we arise in the morning until we go to bed at night. Many of these choices have moral consequences. For example, although the route you choose to drive to work each morning is probably not morally significant, the thoughts you choose to think while you’re driving are moral choices, as is the way you choose to drive.

 

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Uncategorized

The Navigators – Leroy Eims – Daily Discipleship Devotional – The People God Uses

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Today’s Scripture: Ezekiel 20-23

I will listen to what God the Lord will say; he promises peace to his people, his saints–but let them not return to folly. – Psalm 85:8

Although it has been almost forty years, it seems like only yesterday that I heard Dawson Trotman preach to us about God’s search for a certain kind of person. We were at a conference at Lake Iduhapi in Minnesota.

One of Dawson’s recurring themes was the value of one person who is fully committed to God, and he always challenged us to be that person. Dawson’s text there at Lake Iduhapi, and on many other occasions, was Ezekiel 22:30: “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land, so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.”

Here is the all-knowing, all-seeing God searching the landscape for a person He could trust to intercede and plead for the people, and He searched in vain. Something of the intensity of His search is revealed in a cross-reference to 2 Chronicles 16:9: “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”

As a young man, D. L. Moody once heard a preacher say, “The world has yet to see what God can do with a man who is fully yielded to Him.” So Moody resolved in his heart, “By the grace of God, I will be that man.” In spite of all of Moody’s educational and physical limitations, God used him to bring thousands into the kingdom.

God is still looking for that man or woman with a heart to do His will and with a commitment to His work. Will you tell Him today that you’re available?

Prayer

Lord, I’m available to do Your work and Your will. Amen.

To Ponder

Who does God want you to share the gospel with today?

 

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BreakPoint

BreakPoint –  Man Cubs Need Their Fathers: Kipling’s Jungle Books

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One of the biggest worldwide hits of the summer—or any summer, for that matter—is The Jungle Book, Disney’s charming new interpretation of the Kipling classic. Children are eating up this film. But it’s not surprising that the intelligentsia, which once called the book a celebration of British imperialism, are now calling it racist garbage, not to mention politically incorrect.

Ironically, in their rush to condemn The Jungle Book, the critics are missing Kipling’s most politically incorrect message of all: That boys need their fathers, and need them desperately.

It’s a message we should pay particular attention to on Father’s Day, coming up on Sunday.

As Jody Bottom writes in The Federalist, Kipling’s writings for children “derive from his intense feeling of being an abandoned child, sent home from India to live in a boarding school at age five.” Bottom notes, “The subtext of nearly every one of his children’s stories is a boy’s desperate need for a father.” Kipling himself is “so eager for a father that he cannot write about a boy without casting every older male in a father role.”

For example, in The Jungle Books, the story of an orphaned man-cub named Mowglie, we have Baloo the bear, whom Bottom calls a “kindly but learned” father figure. Bagheera, the panther, is another father figure, while the wolf Akela “is father as clan lawgiver.” The python Kaa is “father as source of ancient memory and possessor of mysterious powers.”

We see the same phenomenon at work in another Kipling novel about a fatherless boy, titled Kim. Bottom notes that father figures in this tale include “Mahbub Ali, a Pashtun horse trader, [who] becomes the mature figure of worldliness for the boy, an elderly Tibetan Lama becomes the father of his spiritual unworldliness,” Bottom writes, while “a British officer . . . becomes the father figure who calls the boy to a high political purpose.”

We see echoes and evidence of this need for fathers in modern life. It seems that boys don’t merely feel abandoned when their fathers are out of the picture: All the available evidence reveals that both boys and girls don’t do as well as kids who have a loving father providing a steady presence in their lives.

Continue reading BreakPoint –  Man Cubs Need Their Fathers: Kipling’s Jungle Books →

Moody Global Ministries

Moody Global Ministries – Today in the Word – A FATHER’S PROTECTION

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Read Genesis 31:21–55

When setting out on a trip, people often used to pray for “traveling mercies.” This was a prayer for protection and safety. In today’s passage, Jacob and his family were certainly in need of traveling mercies!

Despite their questionable behavior that we saw yesterday, God protected them by confronting Laban in a dream and warning, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad” (Gen. 31:24). Laban did not harm Jacob, but did demand an explanation. After so much subterfuge, Jacob’s reply is surprisingly frank: “I was afraid, because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force” (v. 31). Out of confidence bolstered by ignorance, Jacob offered the life

of anyone who had stolen Laban’s household gods in exchange for the theft. No doubt he would have spoken differently had he known that Rachel was sitting on Laban’s household gods!

Why did God protect Jacob and his family? They certainly weren’t model citizens. They didn’t demonstrate upright moral character. As far as we can tell from the text, Laban never discovers Rachel’s theft, and God does not punish Jacob for his ignorant vow. Instead, this angry encounter concluded with a covenant. Laban and Jacob entered into a mutual nonaggression pact. Amazingly, Laban initiated the covenant, perhaps because he realized that Jacob was under divine protection. In the terms of the covenant, Laban called upon Jacob’s God to act both as witness and guardian.

Jacob, Laban, and Rachel were all trying to protect their own interests. Jacob wanted to protect his family. Laban wanted to protect his daughters and probably his wealth. Rachel wanted to secure her future. But it was God who was the real protector. He kept Laban from acting rashly while protecting Jacob and his family from harm.

APPLY THE WORD

Fear was the primary motive that compelled Rachel and Jacob to act deceitfully towards Laban. Fear often drives many of our choices. It is tempting to take matters into your own hands when threatened. But you have been promised God’s presence and His protection. Because God has your back, you can be sure that He will look out for your interests today.

http://www.todayintheword.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – CRAIG SAGER: COURAGE ON AN NBA SIDELINE

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The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Golden State Warriors last night to force Game 7 in the NBA Finals. But my favorite figure on the court wasn’t Stephen Curry or LeBron James. It was a television reporter appearing in his first NBA Finals game. His story of courage is one we need in these discouraging days.

Craig Sager has been a sports reporter for forty-four years. Known by viewers for the loud suits he wears on air, he is better known by colleagues for his journalistic excellence. He has interviewed athletes from the sidelines of NBA games for seventeen years. However, his network has never broadcasted the NBA Finals.

Sager has also been battling leukemia. When the cancer recently returned, doctors gave him three to six months to live. So ESPN, the network broadcasting the championship series, inviting him to join their team for last night’s game. It was an emotional time for players, fans, and especially for Sager.

When his leukemia returned, Sager told reporters, “Still kicking, still fighting. I haven’t won the battle. It’s not over yet. But I haven’t lost it, either. There have been some victories and some setbacks, but I still have to fight it. A lot of work to do.”

We need more Craig Sagers today.

This has been a grief-filled week. The murder of Christian singer Christina Grimmie was followed by the Orlando massacre and the Disney tragedy. Yesterday, CIA Director John Brennan told Congress that despite recent progress against ISIS, “our efforts have not reduced the group’s terrorism capability and global reach.” Economists warn that a vote by British citizens next week in favor of leaving the European Union could damage the global economy.

In discouraging times, courage can be our most powerful witness. If others see us strong in faith, firm in resolve, and optimistic in spirit, they are drawn to the One who empowers us. When authorities persecuting the apostles “saw the courage of Peter and John,” “they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).

Courage is an especially powerful witness for fathers. If our children see us trust God in hard times, they are more likely to trust him as well. I will always remember being with Dr. Gary Cook, then president of Dallas Baptist University, when doctors told him he had leukemia. His immediate response was to trust his life and future to God. His courage in the face of death glorified the Lord he loves. It is no surprise that his sons have followed his example with their own commitment to Christ and to ministry.

Continue reading Denison Forum – CRAIG SAGER: COURAGE ON AN NBA SIDELINE →

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – Saving Faith

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John 1:12-13

Yesterday we saw that belief in Jesus is the core of Christianity. Now let’s look at some implications of that saving faith.

Knowledge of who Jesus is and what He did must be accompanied by confidence that the facts are true and apply to us. First, it’s important to realize, I have broken God’s law—that makes me a sinner. All of us are born with a nature that rebels against the Lord. Second, we acknowledge that none of our efforts can earn His favor. Third, we agree that Jesus died for each of us. He paid for all our sins, no matter how terrible they are in the world’s eyes.

Next, we believe that Jesus’ death is sufficient payment for our wrongdoing; nothing else is needed. We must accept that He paid our penalty and endured the Father’s wrath in our place. Finally, we accept by faith that we’ve been adopted into God’s family on the basis of Christ’s atoning death. The invitation is for all humanity, but not everyone has true conviction. Too many people see these facts as “information” rather than life-altering truths.

Once we are convinced that Jesus is our Savior, trust is demonstrated through action. As a “new creature” (2 Cor. 5:17), we each are no longer who we once were, and there are different values and priorities for us to embrace. Jesus, our Lord, has authority over our life, and He alone deserves to be our top priority. He knows what pleases the Father and has sent His Spirit to live in us and teach us.

Take time to examine yourself for evidence of knowledge, conviction, and trust. If one area is lacking, ask God to help you come to true saving faith.

Bible in a Year: Psalms 29-34

 

 

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Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – Some Assembly Required

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Read: Judges 2:7–19 | Bible in a Year: Nehemiah 4–6; Acts 2:22–47

Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies. Judges 2:18

Around our home, the words “some assembly required” have been the cause of great frustration (mine) and great humor (my family). When my wife and I first married, I attempted to make simple home repairs—with disastrous results. A repaired shower handle worked perfectly—if the plan was for the water to run between the walls. My fiascoes continued after we had children, when I assured my wife, Cheryl, I “don’t need instructions” to put these “simple” toys together. Wrong!

Gradually, I learned my lesson and began to pay strict attention to the instructions and things went together as they should. Unfortunately, the longer things went well, the more confident I became, and soon I was again ignoring instructions with predictably disastrous results.

God has reasons for all of the instructions He’s given us.

The ancient Israelites struggled with a similar tendency: they would forget God, ignoring His instructions to avoid following after Baal and the other gods of the region (Judg. 2:12). This produced disastrous results, until God, in His mercy, raised up judges to rescue them and bring them back to Himself (v. 18).

God has reasons for all of the instructions He’s given us to keep our affections on Him. Only by a daily awareness of His loving presence can we resist the temptation to “construct” our lives our own way. What great gifts He has given us in His Word and His presence!

Lord, keep me close to You this day. Remind me of Your presence through Your Word and prayer and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Our greatest privilege is to enjoy God’s presence.

INSIGHT:

After Joshua died, Israel began worshiping the Canaanite fertility deities Baal and Ashtoreth. In Judges 2 this sin of idolatry is likely presented in terms of harlotry or prostitution (v. 17) to reinforce the unfaithfulness of idolatry and the sexual nature of Baal and Ashtoreth worship.

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Ravi Zacharias

Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Repressive or Revelatory

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Novelist and philosopher, C. S. Lewis, once said something quite fascinating. He said that most people, if they have learnt to really look deep into their own hearts, realise that they want, they desire, they long for something that cannot be had in this world. Faced with the fact that the world can’t provide it—no matter how much freedom, how many possessions, how much sex—you’re faced with disappointment. And when life disappoints, you an do one of four things: you can blame the things that disappoint and try to find better ones; you can blame yourself and beat yourself up; you can blame the world and become cynical; or, says Lewis, you can realise that only if your orientate the focus and energy of your life toward hope and toward God, will you ever be truly satisfied. He wrote: “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”(1)

What we need, I would suggest, is something that can speak to all of this—somehow. To help us navigate what it means to be human; what it means to truly want or desire love or justice, or meaning, or purpose. Something that could address these themes now, something that would be relevant, helpful, and revelatory.

It’s fascinating that these are all issues that the Bible addresses. Indeed, the Bible addresses them more deeply, more profoundly, I would argue, than anything else that I know. Isn’t that an astonishing claim for something as old as the Bible? Well, maybe. But maybe it’s also the case that human beings haven’t fundamentally changed all that much in several thousand years. Culture may change; we may be better at distracting ourselves in new and clever ways, but the fundamental questions remain the same, through time and across culture. What does it mean to be human? Who am I?

So what does the Bible have to tell us? Five things. First, the Bible tells us that human beings were designed primarily for relationships. Yes, sex is good. But relationships are primary. We’re built, says the Bible, for a relationship with God and a relationship with one another. That’s what life is primarily about.

Second, the Bible tells us that human beings have incredible value and dignity. The Bible puts it this way:

Continue reading Ravi Zacharias Ministry – Repressive or Revelatory →

John MacArthur

John MacArthur – Strength for Today – Integrity Trusts God Unconditionally

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“Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up’” (Daniel 3:16-18).

Unconditional obedience is the trademark of mature faith.

In Matthew 13 Jesus speaks of people who hear the gospel and initially respond with joy, only to turn away when persecution arises. Tragically, that’s a common occurrence today that is caused by preachers who promise health, wealth, prosperity, and special miracles to all who believe. People who embrace such error are not prepared for the cost of discipleship (cf. Matt. 16:24; John 15:20).

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego understood what it meant to serve God unconditionally. They knew He could move in their defense if it pleased Him to do so, but their faith was not dependent on miracles or any other special benefits they might receive from Him. They stood on convictions and deferred to His will even when doing so brought the threat of a fiery death. Their attitude was that of Christ Himself as He faced the agony of the cross and prayed, “Father . . . not as I will, but as Thou wilt’” (Matt. 26:39).

Their response to King Nebuchadnezzar’s ultimatum may sound arrogant or disrespectful, but they were simply acknowledging that they had nothing to say in their own defense. They had served him faithfully as far as they could, but serving his gods and bowing down to his image was out of the question. God forbids any form of idolatry, and they would not be coerced or intimidated into disobeying Him.

Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, your faith in God isn’t measured by whether or not He rescues you from a difficult situation, but by your willingness to trust and obey Him unconditionally.

Suggestions for Prayer

Express your love to the Lord and your desire to serve Him faithfully despite the circumstances.

For Further Study

Read Matthew 13:1-23. What response does each soil represent?

 

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Wisdom Hunters

Wisdom Hunters – Do Not Weep 

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As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town. When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Luke 7:12-13

Can you feel the heartbreak in this story? Can you for a moment imagine the overwhelming, debilitating grief that must have seized this poor woman? As a widow, she was already living with the painful loss of her husband, the one with whom she had shared her dreams, hopes, and future. When all of that was lost, surely she clung to her only son, the living connection with her spouse and the joy of her life. Yet the pain she lived with was soon to be deepened and new wounds opened in a heartbreaking way.

Jesus arrived in town on the darkest day in this woman’s life. As he approached the city gate, this scene of anguish unfolded before him. This widow who has suffered so much was grieving yet again. As the young man who died was carried out, Jesus saw the source of their grief, and joined in their sorrow. Yet in the midst of his deep compassion and love for this widow, he said something unexpected: “Do not weep.”

How can Jesus possibly expect this woman to not weep in a moment like this? Wouldn’t you expect him to say anything but this? “I’m so terribly sorry,” perhaps. “It gets easier with time,” also more likely. But “do not weep,” really?

The only way Jesus could tell the woman to not weep and still have genuine compassion for her, was if he also planned on healing her pain and restoring that which was broken. The beauty and power of the gospel is that is exactly what Jesus did and what he continues to do today.

Continue reading Wisdom Hunters – Do Not Weep  →

Turning Point

Today’s Turning Point with David Jeremiah – All Ears

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…looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.

Hebrews 12:15

Recommended Reading

Matthew 5:44-48

Motivational speaker Paul Meyer cannot remember a single time when his father forgave anyone—not even his own sister. She had immigrated to America and lived just forty miles away, but one day she made a comment about Paul’s ears being large. From that moment, Paul recalls, his dad refused to talk to her. “For 35 years, despite the fact that she lived close by and that she was my father’s only relative in this country, he never spoke to her again.”

If that story shocks you, remember the grudge you currently have against someone. Perhaps the offense is greater than a comment about someone’s ears. Perhaps the duration of the grudge hasn’t gone on 35 years. But whenever we harbor resentment in our hearts, a root of bitterness springs up to trouble many.

Offended pride has destroyed many friendships. If someone has offended you, tell the Lord about it, pray for the other person, ask God for the grace to forgive, and turn the anger over to the Lord. If you are angry with someone today, slay that giant with forgiveness.

Forgiveness has an uncanny way of bringing incredible good out of incredibly bad situations. It’s amazing—nothing less than a miracle.

Paul J. Meyer

Read-Thru-the-Bible

Psalms 62 – 68

 

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Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – God’s Mercy Is New Every Day

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It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness.—Lamentations 3:22-23 AMPC

One of the things we can praise God for daily with a heart full of gratitude is that He is determined to have an intimate relationship with each of us. The only way He can do that is if He extends grace, mercy, and forgiveness to us continually. And the only way we can have that relationship with Him is if we learn to continually receive His grace, forgiveness, and mercy.

In case you are wondering, you have not used up all of God’s mercy for you. There is still an abundant amount available to you, and there will be as long as you live. God’s mercy is new every day! And it is a gift that can only be enjoyed if it is received freely. So thank God for His mercy today, live boldly by His grace, and be all He created you to be.

Prayer of Thanks: Father, thank You for Your mercy, Your compassion, and Your loving-kindness that never fails. I celebrate Your goodness today, and I am so grateful that I can have a personal, intimate relationship with You.

From the book The Power of Being Thankful by Joyce Meyer.

http://www.joycemeyer.org

Girlfriends in God

Girlfriends in God – Celebrate Good Times, Come on!

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There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

Luke 15:10

Friend to Friend

You would think she had just won the lottery the way she was screaming and jumping up in down. In fact, to her she practically had! She’d found her lovey and wanted everyone within hearing distance to celebrate with her.

Gabriella had lost her lovey a few weeks prior. This was a very big deal to a four-and-a-half-year old, especially since she’d had the little white and tan bear blanket from the time she was four months old. Lovey comforted her when she was sad or hurting, rode with her in car trips, slept with her during nap and nighttime, and was her most treasured possession.

When her comfy blanket friend went missing, Gabriella was understandably upset. She mentioned it to her mama, Brooke, occasionally and shed a few tears, but overall she held it together and tried hard to be a big girl about it.

So when she came across lovey in her sister’s dollhouse that day, the response was nothing short of effervescent elation.

Her mom had been visiting with a friend when Gabriella went rushing out to the living room, jumping, shouting and happy-dancing that she had found her lovey. Her face was radiant with joy that shown from her smiling eyes to her broad smile. It was a beautiful display of rejoicing over the lost being found.

In Luke 15 we read of a time when large crowds of people surrounded Jesus. Many of the people that came to hear him were lost: non-churched, rough-around-the-edges, curious outcasts. They seemed intrigued by this man who saw them for who they were and took a sincere interest in their lives. He taught, touched, healed and hung out with them. He didn’t wait until they had cleaned up and learned their good-boy Jewish manners. He welcomed them as they were.

Continue reading Girlfriends in God – Celebrate Good Times, Come on! →

Campus Crusade for Christ

Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – He Forgets Our Sins

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“And then he adds, ‘I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds'” (Hebrews 10:17).

We were seated at the breakfast table, talking about the exciting adventure of the Christian life. Chuck and Mary were just discovering new facets and understanding of the life in Christ.

“Can you tell us in a few words what should be our objective as Christians?” they asked me.

In very brief summary, I replied, “The Christian life is the process of becoming in our experience through the enabling of the Holy Spirit what we already are in God’s sight, in order to bring maximum glory, honor and praise to His name.”

Christ gave Himself to God for our sins – as one sacrifice for one time. Then He sat down at the place of highest honor at God’s right hand. For by that one offering He made forever perfect in the sight of God all those whom He is making holy.

I am perfect in God’s sight, because in His sight there is no such thing as time and space. Let me hasten to all: I know that I am not perfect in my experience. That is a process which takes time, knowledge of God and His Word, and growth in faith in order to claim these truths as reality in our lives.

Continue reading Campus Crusade for Christ; Bill Bright – He Forgets Our Sins →

Ray Stedman

Ray Stedman – The Prayer for Unity

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Read: John 17:20-26

I in them and you in me — so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. John 17:23

Note the strategy by which God intends to accomplish his objective of reaching the world: that they may be brought to complete unity. There are those who tell us that this prayer of Jesus concerning the church must now begin to be answered, that it is now time to answer this prayer after twenty-one centuries of it remaining unfulfilled, that we must now forget all the differences and distinctions that have separated us into various denominations and sectarian groups through the centuries and join in one great organization or union. But let us first raise the question, Is this prayer really unanswered today? Can it be possible for twenty-one centuries to roll by before God the Father begins to fulfill this last request of Jesus?

No, this prayer has been answered ever since the Day of Pentecost. This strategy is not of human making. This business of making all Christians one does not depend upon us, it depends upon the Spirit of God. Paul’s great chapter on the Holy Spirit in First Corinthians clearly establishes the fact that in the Spirit’s coming he accomplished what Jesus prayed for. This is the divine strategy by which the world may be led to believe in him. All Christians are one, not in union, but in unity. Union is an outward agreement, an alliance, formed by the submerging of differences for sake of merging. But this artificial union, this joining together in an organization, is this the answer to Jesus’ prayer here? The test, of course, is, Does it accomplish what Jesus says will be accomplished when the church is one? Does it cause unbelievers to believe that Jesus is the authentic voice of God? There is little evidence that this is the case. My observation is that when churches or denominations join together (though there may be good in much of this), it creates a vast, monolithic power structure which causes men and women of the world to fear the church as a threat to their own power structures, as a rival force in world politics and world affairs.

Continue reading Ray Stedman – The Prayer for Unity →

Words of Hope

Words of Hope – Daily Devotional – God Cares

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Read: Psalm 23

I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. (v. 6)

Our journey together begins with the Twenty-third Psalm. It has sung its way into more hearts than perhaps any other Scripture. A child memorizes it. Grandpa dies with its words upon his lips.

The Twenty-third Psalm is a personal confession of faith in a caring God. “My” is not even a whole word in Hebrew—but what a prefix! “The LORD is my shepherd.” The Christian faith has revolutionized the world of morals, education, science, medicine, the arts. Yet it begins for you only when it becomes personal. Only when you can say “my shepherd” can you also say, “I have everything I need.” In our wired, gadget-addicted age we stress out, adding anxiety to our lives with our ceaseless wants and desires. Yet when it comes to what we need, the Lord is able to supply us totally. He promises each of us, “as your days, so shall your strength be” (Deut. 33:25). The Scripture declares, “The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing” (Ps. 34:10).

What a beautiful picture of the bond between God and his people—a shepherd and his sheep. Moses was a shepherd. David was a shepherd. All the kings of Israel were intended by God to be shepherds of the people. Are you one of the Lord’s sheep? According to Jesus we may consider ourselves his sheep when we’ve been given a new nature “from above” (John 3:3 NRSV). Can you say, “Jesus, my shepherd”?

Prayer:

Lord, lead me.

Author: Chic Broersma

 

https://woh.org/